Talent is often celebrated at sporting events and concerts, but sometimes it’s found in small restaurants in unexpected towns, like Arrow Rock. That’s where chef Liz Huff quietly showcases a rare form of artistry at Catalpa, her fine dining restaurant, where every plate feels like a personal performance.
An Experience, Not Just a Meal
Dinner at Catalpa isn’t a quick outing. On a recent Saturday, a six-course Italian dinner stretched to nearly three and a half hours — a slow, sensory experience where each dish was packed with its own story and flavor.
Each course arrived on its own timeline. The pancetta pasta fazool was outstanding, a hearty yet delicate soup layered with fresh tomatoes and the most satisfying crunchy bacon bites. It was rustic and comforting, the kind of dish that makes the world feel better.
“It’s not just dinner — it’s an experience,” one diner remarked between courses.
The Evolution of Catalpa
Catalpa, like its chef, has seen reinvention after reinvention. The restaurant first opened in 2002, tucked inside a small, red-painted brick house. The intimate setting and delicious food quickly made the restaurant a favorite among locals and travelers.
After two years, Huff took an unexpected pause, stepping away to focus on recovery. “I closed and went to drug and alcohol treatment, which definitely needed to happen at the time,” she says with disarming honesty. That chapter took her far from Arrow Rock. “I thought I was out of the restaurant business,” she admits. “But eventually, I went back to Catalpa in 2011 and stayed until 2020.”
Then came the pandemic. Huff pivoted to pizzas, burgers, and boozy milkshakes served right from her front yard. But the uncertainty wore on her. “COVID really did me in,” she recalls. “I wanted to expand my outdoor space, and when that didn’t work out, I purchased the boardwalk building.”
With that purchase came reinvention — again. From 2021 to 2024, Catalpa became a beloved pizza spot. This year, Huff returned to her roots: fine dining. Now open Friday and Saturday evenings by reservation only, Catalpa has reclaimed its place as one of Missouri’s most distinctive culinary destinations.
When there’s a show at the Lyceum Theatre, guests can enjoy dinner after the matinee or before an evening performance. There’s no lunch service, but the limited hours make each meal feel like a special occasion.
A Vision Completely Reimagined
When Huff moved Catalpa to the boardwalk, she made a deliberate choice to defy nostalgia. “You can’t recreate the original restaurant just as it was in the new space,” she says. “People always compare the two. So I designed something so different you couldn’t compare them at all.”
The cozy, eclectic restaurant glows with gold accent walls and decor. Even the bathroom is tiled in gold, with glitter grout and unapologetic flair, making what is often an overlooked space another opportunity for fun. “I hate when you go to a restaurant and the bathroom is dark and sad,” Huff laughs. “So I made mine neither dark nor sad.”
The restaurant’s interior feels part art installation, part home. Bold, colorful, and delightfully unpretentious, it mirrors Huff’s own humor and creative edge. “If anyone would like me to come do some designing for them,” she jokes, “I’m all in.”
The restaurant’s name, Catalpa, carries deep roots. It comes from the towering catalpa tree that still stands in the front yard of her first location. “There’s a limb that swoops down to the ground and back up again,” Huff remembers. “When I was little, my mother used to come to Arrow Rock to paint, and I’d ride that limb like a horse. I’ve always loved that tree.”
The Chef Behind the Scenes
Despite her culinary brilliance, Huff doesn’t usually eat her own dishes during service. “I sample everything as I cook,” she says. “By the end of the night, I’m done.” Her post-work ritual? Sonic. Her go-to order: onion rings with chili and cheese, washed down with a cherry Dr Pepper, light ice. “After a day of cooking, that’s exactly what I want.”
It’s that blend of sophistication and humility that defines her food. Huff’s cooking is fearless yet familiar. “If you use the amount of cream, butter, and garlic that I do,” she laughs, “your food would taste just as good.”
“When I make anything, I want people to eat it and think, ‘Wow, when the menu said garlic shrimp, she wasn’t kidding.’” She even reveals her trick for the carrots served alongside her steaks: “You submerge them in a few pounds of melted butter and a pint of maple syrup, then poach them for a really long time.”
Creativity That Keeps Cooking
Huff’s curiosity doesn’t stop at the dinner menu. Every season, she hosts special six-course themed dinners and hands-on cooking classes. Past events have included Japanese and Italian cocktail-pairing menus, and this November, she plans to host an Indian six-course dinner alongside a Thanksgiving sides cooking class for ten to twelve guests.
“It stretches my creativity,” she says. “I once did a private three-class series for a young couple learning to cook together before their wedding. By the third class, they were making some pretty detailed stuff.”
That sense of joy in the craft is what makes Catalpa feel so alive. For Huff, cooking isn’t about perfection; it’s about connection, curiosity, and the ongoing story of reinvention. “When I look back at all the iterations of Catalpa, I get emotional,” she says. “It’s always evolving, and that keeps it interesting for me.”
Sitting on the quiet main street of Arrow Rock, Catalpa reminds us to care about the details, the craft, and unshakeable resilience. And for those lucky enough to snag a Friday or Saturday night reservation, it’s proof that sometimes, the finest experiences come from the smallest kitchens.
